Treatise on Universal Medicine or Real Drinking Gold

UNIVERSAL MEDICINE TREATY, GOLD
REAL DRINKING GOLD.

That is to say an exact description of the true universal Medicine, & of the admirable virtue that it exerts on plants, animals & minerals.
To serve as a bright beacon to the blind world, teaching it how to discern falsehood from truth; & to help the poor abandoned patients.

BY JEAN RUDOLPHE GLAUBER.

And put in French by Sieur Du TEIL.

IN PARIS,
At THOMAS JOLLY, sworn bookseller, rue Saint-Jacques, at the corner of rue de la Parcheminerie, at the Armes d'Hollande.
MDCLIX
WITH PRIVILEGE OF THE KING.


PREFACE


DRIVE.
Dear Reader, I warn you, that this translation touching Universal Medicine, or Potable Gold, was to be added to the Book entitled, The Continuation of the Miracle of the World , & that the Printer could not do it because of the lack of time & certain impediments, even of the Frankfurt fair; so that he was only able to bring to light these three Books, of which the first teaches the Plowmen and the Vinegrowers, to fertilize their lands without manure: the second teaches the Merchants to make sure their money profit in their houses without usury, & without inconvenience of their neighbor: the third teaches to the faithful Doctors, how to have easily and inexpensively medicines, by means of which, in the manner of the Samaritan, they can remedy diseases.
He brought to light these three processes. For the fourth that I dedicated to people of quality, to preserve & recover health, he could not do it for the above reasons. I thought I would oblige the public by giving it to them, that if I do not expand enough on this use of this Universal Medicine, it will be found more, at length in the Book, than God helping, I will shed light on this subject on the first day.

TO QUALITY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO LIVE LONG IN HEALTH

The Universal Medicine, or the true Potable Gold.

HAVING described three excellent processes in the Continuation of the miracle of the world, & facilitated the means for many people to earn their subsistence; I wanted to make a present to people of quality to keep themselves happily in perfect health, and to recover it also in case they had lost it. Because it matters to men, elevated in authority & power, to enjoy perfect health in order to be able to better act & command those who depend on them, to defend the good people, & punish the wicked. Now it is constant that after divine grace, wisdom consists in the good temperament, which comes from the good disposition of the heart and the brain. It is therefore not possible for affairs to be well governed without health.

Now the good state of Kingdoms & Republics, consisting in the prudence & conduct of Ministers & Magistrates, it is necessary to work so that these people are well, so that they are fit for administration. This is what compelled me to give the public this Universal Medicine, health is absolutely necessary for the happiness of man, without it all treasures and all wealth are useless; & he alone is happy who possesses health & wealth; disease & poverty being worse than death.

We often see that good Magistrates & Governors are carried away, by small illnesses; and that they would have governed their subjects for a long time, if they had had good remedies to help them.

But there are many people who are of this mood, that they prefer riches to health, and health to eternal salvation. How is it that there are some who, seeking the right medicines, pass their lives in safety until death seizes them. Then they know that health is an incomparable gift from God, and that illness is the penalty for sin. But it often happens that one decides too late to think of restoring one's health, and that one is forced to give in to death.

It is therefore reasonable that young people in the flower of their age should think of illness, of old age, and that they seek the remedies that God has ordained, to soften pains, and to chase away diseases. Just as a bird locked in the cage, can easily be kept; but if it is once dropped, it can only be recovered with difficulty; thus health can easily be preserved, but being once lost, it can only be recovered with difficulty: one decides too late to save, when one has come to the bottom. We must not, however, lose courage, but turn to God to ask his forgiveness, then legitimately use the means that his divine liberality has provided us. For if we pray well to God, and use good remedies, it is impossible for the disease not to yield to their power.Without divine help, it is certain that all our actions are powerless, and they never succeed: nothing is done without divine permission, whether good or bad; to good people all things are good, although the ignorant do not believe it so: & on the contrary to the wicked all things are wicked, although this is not the feeling of the blind world. Fortune & worldly prosperity are only smoke, there is only virtue & piety solid: all the rest is vain & obsolete. There is therefore no one, rich or poor, great or small, who should take more care of anything other than virtue and his health. The Old & New Testament teach to serve God without fallacy & without hypocrisy; & this little Book teaches how to preserve your health,.

UNIVERSAL MEDICINE,
GOLD
REAL DRINKING GOLD.

The remedy that is honored with the title of Universal Medicine must be such that it exercises its virtue on the three kingdoms of plants, animals and minerals, and that it can help them in their needs, if it does not have this virtue it does not deserve the name of Universal Medicine.

This is why, dealing with this Universal Medicine, I am obliged to show that it deserves this name, and that it possesses its properties. And it is not only necessary that she exercise these virtues on the three kingdoms in general, but also in particular, without the addition of any extraneous thing, and that without much trouble or expense, she can help the poor and the rich equally. Those, therefore, are seriously mistaken who imagine that this Universal Medicine must be drawn from here, and from there in certain regions, with great difficulty and great expense. This opinion is quite distant from that of the true Philosophers, who admit that the matter of this medicine is found everywhere, and that it can help all sorts of people. But the world which makes the heard by its pride,& in darkness, cannot persuade himself that there is nothing good in vile & abject things; & leaving the daisies that are in front of their eyes, attach themselves to bark. This is why the true Philosophers are right to say, that no one would mention it, if it were called by its own name. Which is why they enveloped it in so many enigmas, and did not want their writings to be taken literally.

Sendivogius says he has often revealed the art word for word to a few, who nevertheless are incredulous, & presumptuous, not being able to imagine that so precious a thing is hidden in so contemptible a subject. He even adds that art and universal matter can rather be touched than understood by the understanding. And I assure you that this art is known to everyone,& that there is no one who does not use it: I say much more, that a newborn child cannot live without this universal material. In many of my writings, I have already shown that the nitre is found not only in plants, animals and minerals, but even in the elements, and that consequently it can justly be called Universal Medicine. Because without the elements no one can live. Whoever wants to believe it. So much for universal matter. Because without the elements no one can live. Whoever wants to believe it.

So much for universal matter. Because without the elements no one can live. Whoever wants to believe it. So much for universal matter.

For the preparation I have shown it in several of my treatises, particularly in the Miracle of the World, & others which belong to this Work; that's why I won't say anything else about it.

Here, however, I will add that although I have prepared this universal medicine several times, I confess that it has not always responded to my wishes, and that I have never brought it to its final fixation and perfection; for what time, opportunity, & other things I have missed. Now I want to consecrate to the eternal memory of posterity the progress I have made in it, which is such that in three days I can complete it; my plan tending to nothing other than the glory of the Almighty, & to the relief of an infinity of sick people by a very present & very effective help, & not having wanted to bury with me a talent that God gave me.
Let no one think of snatching this preparation from me by fine words by promises of mountains of gold, in order to use it afterwards to live in pleasure and in pride, want him to know that it is not in my power to reveal this gift of God to everyone, and that I would rather die than prostitute it by communicating it to the impious. And although I call this medicine universal, it must not be imagined that it serves to transmute imperfect metals into gold, and that by its means one can amass great treasures, like the Philosophers attributing to their universal medicine. For I do not know such a medicine, nor dream of knowing it, giving thanks to God alone for this medicine which I hold from his goodness to help the poor sick.I even admit ingenuously that it has not yet served anything for the improvement of metals, and that for me I am content to find my subsistence for living and clothing. I do not wish for abundance of riches, and I only ask God not to be overwhelmed with poverty, nor too full, lest pride take me away, and I come to say: Who is the Lord? & even if I thought I could derive great benefit from this medicine in metallic things, nevertheless I would do nothing about it; & would not use this gift of God for temporal goods to deprive the poor sick people of it, for whose benefit it was given to me. I do not wish for abundance of riches, and I only ask God not to be overwhelmed with poverty, nor too full, lest pride take me away, and I come to say: Who is the Lord?& even if I thought I could derive great benefit from this medicine in metallic things, nevertheless I would do nothing about it; & would not use this gift of God for temporal goods to deprive the poor sick people of it, for whose benefit it was given to me. I do not wish for abundance of riches, and I only ask God not to be overwhelmed with poverty, nor too full, lest pride take me away, and I come to say: Who is the Lord? & even if I thought I could derive great benefit from this medicine in metallic things, nevertheless I would do nothing about it; & would not use this gift of God for temporal goods to deprive the poor sick people of it, for whose benefit it was given to me. nevertheless I would do nothing about it;& would not use this gift of God for temporal goods to deprive the poor sick people of it, for whose benefit it was given to me. nevertheless I would do nothing about it; & would not use this gift of God for temporal goods to deprive the poor sick people of it, for whose benefit it was given to me.

It could well perhaps happen that by the diligence of the studious my medicine was pushed to this point, that of exercising its power over the base metals, by perfecting them and correcting them with utility, but, God has reserved this for himself, and it is from him that we must patiently await his grace. However, we are allowed to use this excellent medicine, which obviously shows the greatness of the art, closing the mouths of the ignorant, and breaking their slanderous teeth.
However, one of these ignoramuses could throw his venom and ask by what right I can give the name of Universal to my Medicine, since I confess that it is not capable of bringing me any profit from metals, and that it only remedies diseases, and that the Philosophers assure that universal medicine has the virtue of transmuting metals into gold, with great utility. To this I reply that I have already declared that I did not have everything I needed to fix it. But who can know what time will bring us with the help of God? We will not reproach a child who has just been born for not having enough mind or judgment to undertake something great. It is necessary to wait until he has become a man, and until he has the suitable size and strength, to spawn.My medicine is quite like that child; so that if we cultivate it philosophically, there is no doubt that it will reach a just perfection; the things she is already doing show enough that we can expect other more considerable ones in time.

Now, as a good father wishes nothing so ardently, except that his children grow up while he is alive, that they marry happily, and that they preserve the name and the race by successors from whom he can receive much joy, and yet is not certain of living long enough to enjoy this happiness, so much so that he must confide in God and wait patiently for orders; as did Moses to whom he showed the promised land, but did not give it enough life to enjoy its possession: Likewise God showed me the promised land, but only he knows if I am worthy to reach it to enjoy the pleasant fruits that it bears. It is true that his merciful goodness gave me in my old age a philosophical child from whom I receive much contentment: but I don't know, I shall have enough life to see him in his virile age.Just as an old man, having received from divine goodness an heir for the propagation of his name, is overjoyed, although he is not sure of living long enough to see him in his virility; I am also delighted to see this new philosophical child of mine; although perhaps my life does not last long enough to see it in its perfection. However, I do not doubt in any way that God raises up for him other foster fathers to raise him & lead him to virile strength for the glory of God, & the relief of an infinity of sick people. although he is not sure of living long enough to see him in his virility; I am also delighted to see this new philosophical child of mine; although perhaps my life does not last long enough to see it in its perfection.However, I do not doubt in any way that God raises up for him other foster fathers to raise him & lead him to virile strength for the glory of God, & the relief of an infinity of sick people. although he is not sure of living long enough to see him in his virility; I am also delighted to see this new philosophical child of mine; although perhaps my life does not last long enough to see it in its perfection. However, I do not doubt in any way that God raises up for him other foster fathers to raise him & lead him to virile strength for the glory of God, & the relief of an infinity of sick people.

As for the means of obtaining it in its perfection, I discovered it here and there, in my writings where the occasion was the most convenient. So that I think it would be superfluous to deal with it here at length.

Of the nature, form, properties & virtues of my real Potable Gold.

As to the shape of this new-born child, I warn the gracious Reader, that it has no luster, & is plain to see, but contains all the colors of the world hidden in itself, & the older it gets, the more pleasing the colors it shows. The fire furnishes it with nourishment, clothes it in various colors, and renders it strong, superb, and powerful; so much so that one can rightly call him his father. As he was born of the earth, he also loves it, & uses it for his food, until having reached maturity of age he becomes like his father, abandons his mother, & like a master whom he commands over his hereditary possessions being still in his childhood, he shows nothing but childishness; but soon he will make known what a man he will one day be.

Since a newly born child is endowed with such great virtue, what would he not do if he had reached the maturity of age? We must see & hear its operations on plants, animals, & minerals. Let's talk about plants first.

How it is necessary to make the test to know if this Potable Gold, or water of life of the Philosophers, is the sovereign Medicine of the vegetables.

No one is unaware that the plants whose proper thing is to be born and to multiply, must also be nourished. But their food is nothing other than a sulfur salt, whether it derives its birth from plants, animals or minerals, because it does not matter to plants as long as they are given food to grow and multiply. The Plowman fattens his land with manure, so that the seed which is sown on this land, can draw salt from it, and convert it into food; & thereby grow & increase. He has no knowledge of any other way to fertilize the fields than this.

But the true Physicist uses other things, excrement, and even minerals to fertilize the land, which I have spoken about elsewhere, and amply in my Miracle of the World. Seeing therefore that my Potable Gold is also a salt of sulphur, but much more powerful & more effective than that which is hidden in the dung of cattle, since it advances the growth and multiplication of all plants marvelously well, I thought it appropriate to put its use here in the improvement of vegetables to show that my drinkable gold is their sovereign medicine, which only begins in the dung of cattle, and then exercises its virtues in the universal operation: for if the manures of Horses, cows & sheep brought remedy to men & metals as well as they do to plants, they should also be called universal for this reason .But all the more so as they bring remedy only to plants, and not to minerals, nor to animals, with which they have no affinity, they are rightly placed among the number of particular medicines which are proper only to plants. However the salt drawn from these manures, & converted into saltpetre, which is easy, can be transmuted into universal medicine; but before this transmutation it does not pass the order of particular transmutations. But this mine Potable Gold deserves the name of Universal Medicine, since it is proper, not only to plants, but to animals and minerals. Which will be perfectly well shown as follows. nor to animals, with which they have no affinity, they are justly placed among the number of particular medicines which are proper only to plants.However the salt drawn from these manures, & converted into saltpetre, which is easy, can be transmuted into universal medicine; but before this transmutation it does not pass the order of particular transmutations. But this mine Potable Gold deserves the name of Universal Medicine, since it is proper, not only to plants, but to animals and minerals. Which will be perfectly well shown as follows. nor to animals, with which they have no affinity, they are justly placed among the number of particular medicines which are proper only to plants. However the salt drawn from these manures, & converted into saltpetre, which is easy, can be transmuted into universal medicine; but before this transmutation it does not pass the order of particular transmutations.But this mine Potable Gold deserves the name of Universal Medicine, since it is proper, not only to plants, but to animals and minerals. Which will be perfectly well shown as follows. allows itself to be transmuted into universal medicine; but before this transmutation it does not pass the order of particular transmutations. But this mine Potable Gold deserves the name of Universal Medicine, since it is proper, not only to plants, but to animals and minerals. Which will be perfectly well shown as follows. allows itself to be transmuted into universal medicine; but before this transmutation it does not pass the order of particular transmutations.But this mine Potable Gold deserves the name of Universal Medicine, since it is proper, not only to plants, but to animals and minerals. Which will be perfectly well shown as follows.

Have certain vessels made of good strong earth, which when cooked become stony. The best lands, among others, are those of Cologne, Sibourg, Valdenburg & the like, very close together & taking no water. If you don't have this kind of soil, you can make your vessels of glass. For the porous earth, although coated with leaded glass, is by no means suitable for this.

That is why it is absolutely necessary to have good vessels, and heed this warning above all things. The vessel must have a span of length or depth, & as much width; that the bottom be pierced with a few holes, as are the pots intended to preserve flowers. The vessels thus prepared, & filled to the brim with light & lean sand, you have to throw in three or four seeds of herbs, which you want to sow, so that if one were to fail, the others can grow. The seeds being put in the sand as we have said, & watered with our universal water, the vessels must be exposed to the Sun & to the air, so that the seeds can grow & grow, which they will do in a few days both from this sand and from other lands, provided they are not too old or spoiled .Now, as soon as they are raised to the length of a finger, two or three of the largest and strongest must be left behind, and the others pulled out, lest one prevent the other from growing, and that it does not have the required space in the earthen pot.

This same vessel full of earth & seeds must be put in another pot made of the same kind of well-baked earth, so that if by chance the medicinal water should come to penetrate through the sand, it will not be lost, but that being received it will be put back in the pot full of sand. Above all, care must be taken that this medicinal water is not carried away by the rain, which would deprive the herbs of their nourishment. The sand should not be too wet, but it should always be a little, less if it were entirely dry, or too wet, all the work would be spoiled by excess or lack of temperament. If all the ordered things are duly observed, the grass being born and grown in a short time will bear flowers and fruits more prompt and better,than if she had come from another land fattened with manure. The colors will become more beautiful, the smell will be stronger, and the strength greater, which these herbs will retain for a long time as being less corruptible than the others. After all the humor that was first poured into it will have been entirely consumed by the air & by the Sun; it is necessary again to pour on the sand more rainwater, in which has dissolved a little potable gold, so that the grass will be nourished as long as it grows. If the sand is only watered with rainwater nothing will come out of it, as everyone has known. After all the humor that was first poured into it will have been entirely consumed by the air & by the Sun;it is necessary again to pour on the sand more rainwater, in which has dissolved a little potable gold, so that the grass will be nourished as long as it grows. If the sand is only watered with rainwater nothing will come out of it, as everyone has known. After all the humor that was first poured into it will have been entirely consumed by the air & by the Sun; it is necessary again to pour on the sand more rainwater, in which has dissolved a little potable gold, so that the grass will be nourished as long as it grows. If the sand is only watered with rainwater nothing will come out of it, as everyone has known.

Similarly, any strong herbs and plants can be made fit to germinate and grow in the middle of Winter, by means of this universal medicine, provided that the roots are watered with this liquor thus dissolved. The flowers & the fruits being rather raw & much more excellent than by means of ordinary manure. Universal Medicine therefore has this efficacy of itself; but it will have a greater if we add to it a certain metallic ferment by means of which the herbs have more virtue. If a golden ferment is added to them, the herbs will not only have the virtues of gold, but their leaves will be marked like little spots of gold, which will be very pleasant to see. If the ferment is silver, the herbs will have its virtues, and will be mottled with little silver marks.By this means the herbs will marvelously relieve the heart & the brain, communicating to them the virtues of the said ferments, knowledge of gold & silver. If powerful people would take care to raise & cultivate such herbs in their gardens, it is certain that they would receive great benefits for their health. For without speaking of their admirable beauty which delights the sight, and of their particular virtues, they have this advantage that one can use them instead of my drinkable gold, of which some persons of quality could have conceived some horror, to the persuasion of their ignorant Physicians, who are so stupid that they condemn the virtues of these illustrious remedies, and try by their slander to divert their masters from them. If they used these herbs instead of my drinkable gold,
Not only with the aid of plants, but also of animals the above drinkable gold can be put to very useful use for the relief of mankind. Which will execute in the following way. The hens must be fed for some time with oats, barley, wheat or other grain macerated in the liquor of this universal medicine, being fed thus they will convert these medicinal virtues into their substance, and the flesh will be much better than that of the others. If care is taken to collect the droppings and mix it with the sand to sow herbs, they become better, especially as they appropriate and convert into their juice, the remains of the liquor that the hens had not consumed, and converted into their substance. So that none of this liquor is wasted, but everything is greatly useful in it.In truth, this transplantation of universal medicine, in plants, minerals and animals, is quite admirable, and the most delicate people of quality can use it in complete safety: for seeing that this medicine, far from harming herbs and hens or chickens, communicates to them more efficacy, they will doubtless believe that it must be as profitable for the most delicate men. If this medicine is endowed with such great virtue, that it is capable of transmuting in the space of a few hours a poisonous mineral such as mercury, as we shall soon see; certainly it must be completely free from venom; since the malignity of one thing does not correct that of another, but rather spoils it and makes it worse. From which one sees as clear as day that this drinkable gold,far from participating in any malignancy, is a very salutary medicine for all things. If there's anybody who wouldn't believe it, or couldn't understand it, I couldn't give them any other light, having sincerely offered this. If there is something better, let him spout it without despising what he does not hear, so as not to prostitute his fame with the impostor Farnel, and expose himself to public ridicule. I am glad that others know more than me, & I am not ashamed to learn something from others: but, I consider myself to be like Farnel the Liar, an ignoramus who censors my writings out of envy, without being able to bring to light anything that is better. I do not believe that the companions of his ignorance now easily want to show their donkey ears,
If only perhaps there came out of darkness some new Farnel or Erostratus who would gain reputation by his crimes; but I hope he will have the same reward as the others, namely shame & misfortune. They must be compared to that worm which has so many feet which I mentioned in the second part of my Spagyric Pharmacopoeia.
This glass does not live on earth or grass like the others, but it looks for other greasy worms in the earth, it attaches itself to them by biting them, and through the hole it makes in them it sucks all their fat, and from which it becomes so fat that it can hardly crawl, although it has many feet. In the spring he is seen to be very thin; in summer it grows fat from the juice it draws from other footless worms, and never comes out from under the earth, unless one of these footless worms has the strength to pull it out, and bring it to light in order to disentangle it from it and its bite. For although this worm which has no foot is ten times larger than the other, this one nevertheless is so strongly attached to it by its bite that it never leaves it, except when it is drawn to earth.Because first that it appears to the day, & that he sees someone, he lets go of the worm, & goes back underground, where he looks for another worm to torment him, & suck his blood. The first being delivered & almost parted from the bite, hides under the ground, & recovers by its own strength. I have often noticed with my own eyes the fight of these insects, & having taken this cruel wicked worm I crushed it. But I said, this strong vermin never sees the light, if they are not pulled by the worms to which they attach themselves by biting them, & having taken this wicked cruel worm I crushed it. But I said, this strong vermin never sees the light, if they are not pulled by the worms to which they attach themselves by biting them,& having taken this wicked cruel worm I crushed it. But I said, this strong vermin never sees the light, if they are not pulled by the worms to which they attach themselves by biting them,

If, then, this multi-footed vermin fed on the ground like the others, and left the worms, which have no feet, in peace, it would never be known, and no one would mention it. But wounding the worms with her bite, she manifests her malice and acquires a very bad reputation. They give it the name of leech, which would be very suitable for Farnel: for like this blood-greedy worm without having been attacked by the other, torments it underground until it compels it to come out into the light: So Farnel provoked me. If he had merely substituted honestly, he would not have sucked my blood with his poisonous bite & I would not have been compelled to bring him to light with his wicked deeds. Who would ever have known Farnel if he had not attacked me with horrible treachery,if he hadn't charged me with a thousand Calumnies, if he hadn't taken me away from the tranquility in which I was to throw myself into anxiety, and do me a very considerable damage? As this blood-sucking worm displays its cruelty; as also the property of other innocent verses manifests itself: so Farnel's dark actions show his extraordinary malice. Who would have ever thought that the worm had such a salutary juice, if it had not known that, having been wounded by the other, it has the property of recovering by its own juice? If Farnel had not shown that he was angry with me and my goods, if he had left me alone, his malice and his goodness would not have been known to everyone. No one would have known that he was a traitor, a thief, an assassin.And besides, no one would have asked me for so many and such rare secrets that Farnel forced me to reveal by his calumnies. So there is nothing in the world so wicked and so perverse that does not serve some good.

If the worm of which we have often spoken, did not attack the other innocent worm, it would not cause the nature of that one which is very beneficial. Farnel attacked me & insulted me: he gave me an opportunity to answer him & defend myself, many secrets of which have been brought to light. Never would I have manifested the knowledge that I have of natural things, and would have kept myself hidden like the worm, if Farnel, who is a real leech, had not taken me from my rest by his venomous bite.Let no one take this comparison in bad part, which is fitting in my case; & I have no doubt that many are surprised that I speak so clearly of such important things. I had to come forward, otherwise the rude and ignorant people would have imagined that Farnel had been victorious instead of staining himself with eternal infamy. So much so that everyone will know his malice & his abominable perfidy which led him to make fun of my writings, & that on the contrary I worked for my neighbour.

I didn't want to pass these things over in silence, I thought I had to reveal them to everyone. would have imagined that Farnel had been victorious instead of staining himself with eternal infamy.So much so that everyone will know his malice & his abominable perfidy which led him to make fun of my writings, & that on the contrary I worked for my neighbour. I didn't want to pass these things over in silence, I thought I had to reveal them to everyone. would have imagined that Farnel had been victorious instead of staining himself with eternal infamy. So much so that everyone will know his malice & his abominable perfidy which led him to make fun of my writings, & that on the contrary I worked for my neighbour. I didn't want to pass these things over in silence, I thought I had to reveal them to everyone.

As for my drinkable Gold, I hope that it will serve as medicine for many good people, that it will give me much strength, and that it will serve as poison for all my enemies and diabolical Farnelians. For just as the Stork kills toads, snakes & other venomous insects; thus this medicine will so destroy the race of the Farnelians, that not a single vestige will remain of it.

So that no one is surprised or judges it absurd that I write that my drinking Gold gives a nature of gold to the nascent herbs, I find it appropriate to confirm it with true Stories. We read in the Chronicles of Hungary & Transylvania that the land of these regions having everywhere in the mountains a nature of gold, from which the Miners drew a large quantity for a thousand years here, which was melted & coined, there were often found vines, of which not only the leaves, but the grapes were as if they had been gilded.

It is not an old tale, but a very real thing, according to many people who live in those countries. More than six years ago, living in Franconia, it happened to me that a vine at the roots of which I had put gold reduced to its first being, boron golden pips. What I have related more at length in the treatise on the Consolation of Navigators. Lately a Gentleman from Hungary, assured me that near Cremnis town in the mountains of Hungary, a villager found a piece of corporeal gold longer than an alder, which was born from a stone & was around it. And this Gentleman gave me a small piece out of curiosity. But even if these stories were not true, as they are, nevertheless what I attributed to my drinking gold, is the plain truth.

I cannot give any other reason concerning these leaves and these golden grapes, except that in these regions the earth is impregnated with vapors of gold or with the first being of gold, not being yet hardened and coagulated, and that this golden rain being, carried along with the rain, insinuates itself and penetrates into the roots of the vine, from which it rises into the branches and into the grapes, where it makes itself visible.

It happens the same to my potable gold, which being similar to some spiritual gold, if it is dissolved by common rainwater, and carried with it, like the sand where plants are sown, if it is moistened with this liquor, it is attracted by the plants which draw their nourishment from the sand, and by being attracted it makes them partakers of the nature of gold; which is seen by experience.

From what I have just said, everyone can easily understand that my drinkable gold is the sovereign medicine of plants; that it is also that of minerals we will show in few proofs, but which are clear and obvious.

Of the use of my potable Gold in the correction of minerals.

As for the improvement of minerals, my potable gold is such that it gives very certain marks of the possibility to those who seek the transmutation of metals by the dry and by the humid way.

First, you must know that said potable gold, being brought to the perfection known to me, is similar to clear and clean water, that it stings the tongue with a hot fiery flavor, and that it exhales a sulphurous but pleasant odor.

Someone will say that such clear water cannot have much strength, & ask why it is called potable gold, seeing that it should rather be red or yellow? I answer that the redness is not seen being hidden in the whiteness during his tender youth, but that it manifests itself with him reaching a greater age by means of fire, and that it shows his beauty with more force, efficiency: For this is how the Philosophers say: If you do not whiten our gold, you cannot redden it, and in another place, if someone knows how to destroy gold, which is no longer gold, that one will have arrived at a great secret ; & again elsewhere, Our gold is not vulgar gold, but gold in power, not in form .The whole troop of Philosophers is full of such words, by which one demonstrates exactly that true potable gold must not be red at first sight, but that it deserves the name, provided that this red and effective force is hidden in its interior principle. Because if the whiteness did not cover the redness, it would never turn red. My drinkable gold being coagulated & reduced in stability by the fire, changes into stone of the color of fire, & does not render the gold corporeal in the cast, except that a metallic body is added to it, it withdraws into spiritual & philosophical gold, so that it becomes corporeal.

My drinkable gold is a virginal milk, which is coagulated by a little heat. Being coagulated it passes into dragon's blood, which being coagulated must make a constant salamander. I really have never yet prepared it, nor have I found the occasion to do so; but contenting myself with my virginal milk as a very good universal medicine, I wait patiently for what divine goodness will grant me for the future.

To show therefore that my potable gold is also the remedy for minerals, that it corrects and perfects them into gold, I will put here some ways of carrying it out, both by the dry process and by the wet process.

The way to test by the wet way, if my Potable Gold is the true philosophically volatile gold.

Take an ounce of my drinking gold. Remember that the glass must be round at the bottom, either one by that of some small matrass or vial, so that the mercury can be assembled into a globe at the bottom, then put in the sand the glass with the potable gold & the quicksilver up to the height of the liquor, heat it for the space of an hour, as long as the phlegm being exhaled the potable gold is reduced to white salt. This throws again on this white salt as much rainwater as it lost while cooking; or filled the glass with rainwater to the point where it was full of potable gold, so that by resting a little on this salt, this salt being dissolved, it becomes converted into this potable gold; having the same color, flavor & other qualities & pour over it as it had before.Potable gold being poured out, the mercury is found hard & fixed at the bottom like good gold, of the same size as it was put in the glass. Note well that if by mistake the quicksilver has not been dyed enough, nor brought to the necessary degree, and if it has become in any way black, it must be removed from the glass, put it in a small crucible, and redden it well with charcoal, so that it receives the suitable color of gold, corresponding to the best gold of the Ducats, which will be constant in the examinations. As for this potable gold which has been used for the coagulation of mercury, it can often be used for the same purpose, with this precaution, however, that one must always take less quicksilver the second time than the first;especially since the potable gold having been put into use by these successive works gradually loses its strength and vigor.

This way of coagulating mercury can also be practiced in the coagulation of other minerals & metals, provided they are reduced to very thin sheets, because being too thick they cannot be completely digested by potable gold in such a short time to reach a fair degree of perfection; but they remain raw inside, and this is what we must be careful of. If this work is duly executed, the metals are transmuted into real gold, according to the size, the shape and the form that they will have been put, one however rather & more conveniently than the other, according to whether it has more affinity with gold: NB if the metal not being well treated, was still black when it was removed from potable gold, it must be reddened in the fire, so that it takes the color of gold. He who will doubt,it must be put in the lead & purged by the cupel, so that it is certain to have good gold, & that it is delivered from all scruples. For Saturn & Antimony will take nothing away from such gold, which examination will show clearly

The way to do the test by the dry way, how the imperfect metals are transmuted by my Potable Gold.

Take an ounce of my drinkable gold or virginal milk, and having put it in a glass vessel, and in hot sand, evaporate all the humidity, as long as half an ounce of white salt remains. Put this salt in a crucible with 3 j or 3 b bladed silver, or copper, or iron: For tin & lead, they need not be bladed. Put the crucible with the salt & the metal in the coals: The salt being quickly melted like wax, will soon penetrate all the metal, & will change it into gold, which is done in a quarter or at most in half an hour.The salt being poured out of the crucible, one finds there the blade of the metal, with the same shape and quantity that it had when it was put there, and entirely changed into pure gold, The tin and the lead, being of easy melting, are melted into grains which have the nature of pure gold. If the crucible is overheated by the excessive vehemence of the fire, it may also happen that the silver, the copper, and the iron go away in grains; what I did not want to yield to the studious & art lovers.

Here are the two ways of examining my potable gold by the dry way and by the wet way, which if you know how to acquire yourself well, you will not be disappointed in your design. But I do not assure that this transmutation is lucrative, & I added above that I revealed all this only to show the possibility of art. For although this gold is real and suffers all the usual examinations, nevertheless it brings no utility, especially since the gold drinkable before it acquires this degree of aforesaid virtue, costs more than the gold which has been made by its means is worth.

And even when it would bring some utility, he would still do harm who would use such a royal medicine to have so little gold, since one can have it elsewhere, it would be a shameful sin to consume such an excellent remedy for the little money one would get from it; so I did not teach it for this purpose, so that it could be used to make gold, but to let everyone know visibly that there are still men today, to whom God has given the industry to prepare excellent medicines. I do not envy others, if they learn something from my writings, & if they find an opportunity to push the work: But I do not want the impious to imagine that he has found here a means of exercising his wickedness. God knows well what he must do in this encounter, and not at our whim.

I can easily conjecture that my writings will be censored by various judgments, but I cannot prevent it, nor worry about it, having this consolation of having written the truth, and of being able to defend it in the presence of everyone. I also know very well that it may be objected to me that my potable gold is only a simple solution of common gold, which, being joined to other metals, gives back the gold which has been precipitated by the said metals, and which returns to its first body; so that it is not real potable gold, nor this transmutation. a true transmutation of gold. To rebut this objection, I ask; if common corporeal gold can be dissolved without some corrosive?For this mine of potable gold has no corrosion, and it is an igneous water completely contrary to corrosives, since it is nothing other than fixed nitre, or sulphurous salt, with which common gold has no familiarity, and they do not have enough strength to dissolve it. If even it were possible for the body of common gold to be dissolved by these fixed salts, and for my potable gold to be dissolved in such a solution, this gold solution would necessarily have to take on a yellow or red color. But it is not the same with my drinking gold, since it is so clear and clean that it surpasses fountain water in splendor and transparency.Added that the solution of corporeal gold dyes the nails, hands & hair black in color, which my potable gold does not do, and therefore it deserves the name of philosophical gold. For all the Philosophers who have been the true possessors of universal medicine confess in express terms: That neither their gold, nor the solution of it, do not dye their hands any color. And it is by this mark that they distinguish vulgar gold from philosophical gold. From this it necessarily follows that my potable gold was prepared with philosophical gold, since it tints the hands of any color.

Now I am quite willing that the solution of vulgar gold was not made by means of some corrosive menstruation, as mine is not. However, in digestion it would not dye & transmute the imperfect metals & common quicksilver; but, like all the other solutions, it would only cover the surface of them with the color of precipitated gold; such as can be prepared a powder with common gold, the manner of which I have described. When the silver is covered with it, it is as well gilded as if it had been with common quicksilver & with gold: There is therefore only the surface which is gilded, but the silver cannot be changed & remains in its first state. Thus gold being dissolved in the spirit of salt gilds the surface of any iron with the assistance of the vitriol of Venus;but the iron retains its nature and its property. If water is poured abundantly into this solution, and tin, lead, iron or bismuth are added, the gold being precipitated by corrosive water has the habit of attaching to the metal as to a porous sponge. And as soon as you stir the water, the gold precipitates which looks like turbid & coarse silt disperses in the water, & the metal that was put remains as it was before without any transmutation. gold being precipitated by corrosive water has become accustomed to attaching itself to the metal as to a porous sponge. And as soon as you stir the water, the gold precipitates which looks like turbid & coarse silt disperses in the water, & the metal that was put remains as it was before without any transmutation.gold being precipitated by corrosive water has become accustomed to attaching itself to the metal as to a porous sponge. And as soon as you stir the water, the gold precipitates which looks like turbid & coarse silt disperses in the water, & the metal that was put remains as it was before without any transmutation.

It is certain that if the whole body of imperfect metals took the tint by means of the solution of common gold, which is impossible, certainly if one rubbed the surface of the metals, and mainly of the Moon, with this solution, the exterior would appear golden; what my drinking gold does not do; but if one rubs silver with it, it varies it with as many colors as it appears in the tail of a Peacock; so much so that they can only be erased with difficulty, which is an indubitable proof of the excellence of my drinkable gold, which is the true gold of the Philosophers.

If other objections were made to me, I could easily destroy them, but I do not believe that there is anyone so rash who wants to oppose things that are generally approved, unless they can bring something better. That if there is someone who brings something better, he will also know what I say, & will not despise it. The ignorant make no discernment of good things. Witness Farnel, of whom we have spoken to the point of disgusting us; Anyone who will doubt this if he experiences it; that if he refuses to do so, that he refrain from passing judgment on me, for fear of being subjected to the judgments of others who will declare him a real fool and ignorant. That is enough for the wise; fools never take advantage of doctrine.

So let the ignorant argue & judge badly as long as they want my drinkable gold, I always repeat this same song to them: if you have something better, produce it, & submit it to the required examinations, otherwise be silent, & do not despise what your gross understanding cannot understand.

Of the use of my Potable Gold in Medicine.

What need is there for me to publish the admirable virtues of my drinkable gold in medicine? I do not think it necessary to compose a large volume of it: for it harms rather than benefits. And we have such a sickness of writing that we sometimes attribute to bad burnt wine the virtues that we would hardly attribute to drinking gold. It is very certain that sometimes in a vile and abject thing, there is more hidden virtue than in the most precious things; but as each one does not distinguish the true from the false & that he is constrained to believe in what he hears said, it is impossible that he is not often mistaken, & that he does not take the good for the bad; to which examination serves as a remedy, for the search for truth.

If I wanted to describe carefully the strengths of my potable gold, I would have to compose a large volume, which I must not do here, but soon I will bring to light a Book in which I will deal with them, & several others of my medicines, under the title of Glauber's Pharmacopoeia. Here I will briefly tell the use of my drinking gold.

Since then my drinkable gold, as I have often repeated, is a concentrated fire, reduced to liquid form; and that any time essence is similar to a tender, penetrating fire, without, flame, each one can easily conjecture what it is suitable for in medicine.

Of all the elements, the purest, the most subtle, the most penetrating & the most effective is fire, that's what everyone admits. For the force of fire, which is heat, penetrates the thickest bodies such as metals and glass; There is nothing that can close the passage to him, water, earth, & air, are easily repelled. Almighty God is compared to fire, from whom all things receive spirit and life, without which nothing can live or move, all things being hard, dead and cold without it, as seen by the bodies of men and other animals, which while alive are always hot, and when dead they are colder than ice.

While this spark of life is kept alive by proper food, it endures in its vigor in animals; but as soon as it begins to run out of food, it acts like a lamp that goes out for lack of oil. Since, therefore, the life of man, being only a real fire, is sustained by drinking and eating, like the lamp, which without oil and without the air which is necessary for the maintenance of fire and life, cannot preserve its light. Someone might ask why men are so easily attacked by diseases, seeing that they do not lack good food? I reply to this, that coarse, raw, and tenacious humors block the passages to the spirits and to the warmth of life; so much that she lacks this rot she must be stripped of.To always use the comparison of the lighted lamp, we see that the wick or candle being surrounded by the faeces of an impure oil, receives nothing that can make it burn, on the contrary it causes it to die although there is enough oil. Thus, although one puts a great deal of manure at the foot of an old tree, the vegetation is not perpetual; but finally all things die. The crude, coarse, and tenacious humors which mingle in the roots and deprive them of the passage of rot, are the cause of death to plants, as to men and lamps, in the aforesaid manner. Thus, although one puts a great deal of manure at the foot of an old tree, the vegetation is not perpetual; but finally all things die.The crude, coarse, and tenacious humors which mingle in the roots and deprive them of the passage of rot, are the cause of death to plants, as to men and lamps, in the aforesaid manner. Thus, although one puts a great deal of manure at the foot of an old tree, the vegetation is not perpetual; but finally all things die. The crude, coarse, and tenacious humors which mingle in the roots and deprive them of the passage of rot, are the cause of death to plants, as to men and lamps, in the aforesaid manner.

God wanted to give such an order to all things that, having their natural causes, they all tend to their end, and run to their destruction, so that there is nothing stable and consistent except eternity.

The clearest water passing through canals & through wooden conduits finally fills them with silt by succession of time, narrows them, & blocks itself, even the passage. This is what the clear & cold water of the fountains does. For hot water it goes much faster, as is seen in sulphurous baths, where it is very often necessary to open and clean the canals and aqueducts, so that the water can flow freely, but this happens even faster in these hot waters, which, on cooling, leave faeces in the vessels and clog them. The same happens in open vessels, when clear water is often heated and as many times cooled: for finally to the interior parts of the vessel attaches a tenacious silt, which over time becomes a hard stone.If the clearest & most transparent fountain water does what we have just said, what do you think that must do that which is cloudy, coarse & loamy in its nature? It is for this reason that not only new wines send their faeces to the bottom of the barrel, and attach their tartar to the sides, but also old wines do the same, although not in such large quantities.

Also when men drink turbid liquors, it necessarily happens that their internal parts, being filled with faeces, deprive them of the nourishment of life, as coarse oil deprives them of the light of the lamp. Because everything that men eat & drink every day finally blocks the passages of the viscera over time & deprives the vital fire of its nourishment. Rather, then, is this nourishment of life removed, and rather the light or vital fire is extinguished, and rather the cold and dark death approaches and makes itself master. Which gave rise to the old proverbs: Eat things cooked, drink things clear, & speak the truth to live long. Someone will say: I will therefore avoid cloudy drinks, I will eat nothing that is not well cooked & well prepared, in order to enjoy a happy long life. This goes very well, seeing that for the preservation of health, there is nothing better than to live soberly, & to avoid raw & coarse meats & drinks: but it does not follow from this that one is not finally subject to illnesses & death. For there is no meat so well cooked, nor drink so clear, which does not bring with it hidden faeces, with which for a long time the interior vessels are not filled and clogged, from which come diseases, as we have shown by the example of the clearest and cleanest spring water. Likewise the trees that are on top of the highest mountains,though they feed on very clear rainwater, they are nevertheless compelled to die; food being taken from them because the root passages are clogged.
I do not mean that an oak or other wild tree which is nourished only by rainwater & leaves, which fall every year, does not last longer than a fruit tree which in the orchards is cultivated with great care. For we know that an oak often lasts up to a thousand years, whereas a well-cultivated tree will barely last a hundred years. Which must be attributed to the difference in food. The stags living in the forests & the crows in the air, can live beyond a hundred years; but if they are deprived, although perfectly well nourished, they will not survive fifty. It is very constant & manifest that if men lived only on bread & water, they would lengthen their life by many years, instead of living delicately;nevertheless nobody cares about it, and one prefers to live deliciously, what burdens nature, causes obstructions in the bowels; & therefore diseases. A tree that is over-fertilized with manure attracts a moisture which clogs the roots, prevents them from sending food to the trunk & branches, which causes death. But will you say what must be done? If obstructions cause diseases, is there no remedy to prevent or remove them? I say that both are possible, that they can be prevented, and removed entirely, by remedies friendly to nature, and contrary to the things which cause the obstructions.For cold, impure & tenacious humors should only be attenuated, incised, opened by hot, penetrating & igneous remedies, which experience taught us long ago. The most certain and the most effective of all these remedies are the volatile spirit of common salt, or of vitriol which is not corrosive, the volatile spirit of crude tartar; the spirit of nitre & of salt armoniac, & other similar igneous spirits which are very suitable for dispelling these obstructions.

Ordinarily these volatile spirits only attack & resolve only recent obstructions & which are not yet confirmed, but they do not have enough strength to overcome those which are inveterate, which desire medicines which resemble them & which are fixed. This is what all Medical experts agree on, and all the finesse of Medicine consists in being able to drive out not only the new ones, but the old obstructions. Herbs and similar things cannot overcome it, since no one can be cured of it. Because after the patient has long used palliative remedies, after having swallowed many potions, death finally comes to take him away, which he would nevertheless have avoided by some good remedy. How could it be that cold medicine,coarse, raw, & badly prepared, could take away cold, coarse humors, & could have them, heated, incised & softened? It would be the same as if someone wanted to melt a piece of ice with another piece of the same ice, instead of using something hot. This is why to warm up, exhaust & remove these cold & tenacious obstructions, it is necessary to use some igneous medicine, lively & penetrating, & banish syrups, preserves & juleps as cold, dead & watery things. instead of using something hot. This is why to warm up, exhaust & remove these cold & tenacious obstructions, it is necessary to use some igneous medicine, lively & penetrating, & banish syrups, preserves & juleps as cold, dead & watery things. instead of using something hot.This is why to warm up, exhaust & remove these cold & tenacious obstructions, it is necessary to use some igneous medicine, lively & penetrating, & banish syrups, preserves & juleps as cold, dead & watery things.
I cannot consider without astonishment that men do so little state of life out of sheer ignorance. But this blindness is found above all in those poor idiots who are forced to believe everything they hear said, and abandon themselves entirely to time and chance. What God perhaps will remedy one day by his goodness.
We therefore conclude, and we conclude that the principal cause of death are the gross, viscous humors, which little by little occupy the viscera, clog them, and deprive the radical moisture of its nourishment, and finally, after having debilitated the vital fire, extinguish it entirely.

To remove them and dissipate them, there is no other remedy than to keep open and clean the passages and ducts of the internal viscera, or to open them if they are already blocked.

This is what my drinking gold is for, and there is no medicine that can do it better. For it is a subtle essence, igneous & penetrating in its nature, warming cold things, attenuating coarse ones, incising viscous ones, consuming & drying up all humours; so that being put into use it prevents & prevents all sorts of obstructions, softens & incises those which are already formed. Added that it surpasses all other remedies in fortifying the vital spirit, & in preserving it in its entirety, & consequently worthy of being, esteemed & called the concentrated center of all medicines. For all the virtues which are scattered in plants, animals, and minerals are found concentrated in this medicine and rightly give it the title of Universal Medicine,

That if it had these excellent virtues only for the diseases of men, and if it did nothing on plants and minerals, it could not deserve the name of Universal Medicine, and would only be placed in the rank of particular remedies as being only capable of remedying animal diseases.

It is true that the Philosophers attribute to their Universal Medicine the cure of all the diseases of the human race, and the correction of imperfect metals, and even the power to transmute them into perfect gold; but as for the vegetables, they do not say a word. I don't know why, & I don't think it necessary to declare the cause, since it is enough for me to say that mine goes further and that it has the same effect on plants.

However, I want everyone to take the meaning of my words well, and not to consider me so simple, that I compare my drinkable gold with the great stone of the Philosophers, which converts a large quantity of imperfect metals into pure gold by means of projection. Because I don't attribute such great virtues to my medicine, I wouldn't want to assure you, however, that over time something better could not come out of it. I haven't reached that far yet, and perhaps I never will. This is not in my power, but in that of God who can grant it to whomever he wishes. However, I give thanks to the heavenly Father for this great gift that I hold from him, I who am unworthy of this royal child that he has given me.But I do not know if this same divine Father will want to extend his grace to me, in order to lead this child to virile age, and place on him the crown of honor and glory. It depends on him who can give everything & take everything according to his will.
All that I have put down here is in conformity with the pure truth, and has no other end than the glory and honor of God, with the manifestation of his admirable works. Then the health of men, so that the talent that God has entrusted to me may produce suitable fruits, and be used for the benefit of my neighbour.

Now the Philosophers attribute to their medicine the power of making all sorts of firestones into precious stones of all colors resembling the Natural ones. Someone will ask as much of my drinkable gold, to which I reply again, that my drinkable gold is still imperfect & in its infancy, which having reached perfection by means of fire, will perhaps one day be able to have the same effect. In the state in which it is now by my industry, in a covered crucible in three hours time it changes into a transparent stone red as blood, and similar to a ruby, of which if one throws a small piece of it into molten glass, it turns it green, yellow, blue, or black, according as it is thrown in greater or less quantity, or as it is longer preserved in the flow.

For the rest, it dyes various colors in a few hours some kinds of white pebbles in the fire, and even changes the sulfur into very good gold, it is a truth, which delights me in admiration on all that I have ever heard.

And I believe I am about to state how it came to my knowledge. I had put on the sand a few ounces of my drinkable gold, which were in porcelain, so that the phlegm having evaporated, I could reduce it to salt. The heat of the fire having increased too much in my absence, a good part of the liquor came out of the porcelain by boiling, and spread in the sand. Approaching to see what was, I found that the spilled liquor had hidden in the hot sand. Having removed the sand which had assembled into a body with the potable gold, & having put it in a glass, I poured rainwater into it, & I put the glass on the hot sand. I poured afterwards with a funnel, the water which had attracted the salt; & by this means filtering the liquor which was impregnated with salt,& which without changing color or flavor, had passed clear transparent, I separated it from the sand. But I was very surprised with astonishment, when I saw that this sand, which was white before, had become as if red, for what potable gold even tinted the sand. Having examined it in the dish, it gave me pure gold, which surprised me even more, because it is a marvelous transmutation, which I have never heard of. It persuades me that a piece of crystal could be digested in this precious stone drinkable gold, though I have never tried it, which I will nevertheless, if God preserve my life. for what potable gold even stained the sand.Having examined it in the dish, it gave me pure gold, which surprised me even more, because it is a marvelous transmutation, which I have never heard of. It persuades me that a piece of crystal could be digested in this precious stone drinkable gold, though I have never tried it, which I will nevertheless, if God preserve my life. for what potable gold even stained the sand. Having examined it in the dish, it gave me pure gold, which surprised me even more, because it is a marvelous transmutation, which I have never heard of. It persuades me that a piece of crystal could be digested in this precious stone drinkable gold, though I have never tried it, which I will nevertheless, if God preserve my life.

After the aforesaid test I conjectured that the sand in which I had sown the herbs, and which I had sprinkled with my potable gold, had not entirely communicated to the herbs the virtues and qualities of gold, but that it had retained the principal part of them for its correction, and that it had given to the herbs only the least. This conjecture did not deceive me; for using the occasion I found the real thing. This is why henceforth I no longer used sand to give herbs the virtues & properties of gold, but in its place I used scrapings of wood, in which I began to sow herbs. Because wood does not have the same strength as sand, to also draw the essence of drinkable gold.So therefore a rotten wood, where the scrapings of the wood will be more, specific to this kind of production, that the very sand, which attracts the main virtues of potable gold, uses it to correct itself, and leaves the little that remains to the plants, usually making men, each of whom is closest to himself. If I hadn't taken care of that by chance, the sand would have taken away a lot of my profit, would have left very little for the plants, and would have taken the best for itself.

It is not necessary to do here a thing worth knowing; it is that the herbs that are born by the help of my potable gold are always stronger & larger than common herbs, & surpass them in color, flavor, smell, & other virtues. The reason is all the more so that the aforesaid Universal Medicine is only a fire, which communicates its igneous vigor to plants and minerals. Because it is a well-known thing that the warmer the regions, the more effective the herbs they produce. The herbs which grow in the more humid regions of Flanders are not comparable in smell, nor in flavor, nor in strength to those which grow in upper Germany, where the soil is warmer and drier. Upper Germany does not produce herbs of such great virtue,than France, whose air is warmer and drier than that of Germany; or scarcely can the rosemary be free from the injury of Winter; in the deserts of France, it grows in such abundance that it becomes as tall as a tree, and shelters from the rain those who put themselves under it. Excellent Marseille honey is brought to Germany, Flanders, and other countries, where bees form it from the juice of rosemary flowers, to make good honeyed wine, or fruit and flower jams. For the honey that the bees collect in the damp and marshy meadows of Holland and Friesland, it has almost no smell, but it surpasses in goodness that which they compose from the flowers of wild trees and those found in the deserts.
Which clearly shows that the virtues of the herbs are very different, and that those who put all the herbs of Europe indiscriminately in the same category, attribute the same virtues to the herbs of the Northern countries, such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden & Poland, that the ancient Doctors attributed to theirs. The new Galenists do the same, who assure us that the moist herbs in these cold regions equal in virtue those of which the ancient Physicians have mentioned. Now experience shows the abuses they commit in the use of their herbs,
Avicenna, Averroes, Æ ginete, of which Galen was the compiler, were not Germans, Swedes, or Poles, having been inhabitants of these hot regions, in which the salt being heated day and night by the rays of the Sun, endowed with the properties of gold, communicates a marvelous virtue to the herbs. It is therefore a gross error to attribute the same qualities to the herbs of our cold regions. Now, by means of art, it may be that the herbs of the coldest countries have the same virtues that these Arabs attribute to theirs. All Philosophers say that art begins where nature ends. And of all Hermès, who is like its father, says clearly, in its Emerald Table:It is a very certain truth, what is superior is like what is so inferior, & the reverse to perform the miracles of a single thing .

Although these words may be explained in different ways; however, their general meaning only regards the upper & lower Sun, which spawns & perfects all things. We can in no way attract the upper Sun to us, and less command it to make our lands susceptible to the heat of its rays, and to fill the herbs they produce with the same virtues possessed by those of Arabia. He does not know us, but he continues his ordinary course, and performs the function that God has ordered him to do. If we want. To correct the gifts of nature, we must address ourselves to the art which is its imitator, and find out if it will want to lend us its assistance. What he will do easily, that is to say, that the soil of Europe will produce herbs as effective as that of Arabia,& even inexpensively; so that there is no need to use my potable gold, which costs more. For sulphurous, salty & fluid water will have the same effect, since in salt & in sulphur, the solar rays are fully concentrated & coagulated. It is our terrestrial Sun, by virtue of which all things are animated; that if we knew how to apply it duly to vegetables, we would do with the help of art the same thing that the superior and natural Sun does in herbs. He who does not hear these words should not be put in the rank of Philosophers, he follows blind Doctors, and drags with him into the darkness of the precipice. The Sun racing through the Sky cannot be made bigger or smaller. For the lower Sun we hold it in our hands,

How does it come about that art surpasses nature, if we know how to use it well? But this dissertation extends further than I thought, and its length warns me to stop. The long ears of an ass do not become shorter by a long speech, and an Ethiopian does not become whiter to be washed incessantly.

However, in order for everyone to see that I have only declared the truth, and that I explain it even more clearly, other things must still be discovered in order to try them if you want. Coagulate my drinkable gold into red salt, & throw 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, or 12 grains of it, more or less on half an ounce of molten crystal glass in a crucible, in order to melt what will be on the surface; this being done, the glass will soon attract a dye, & will be covered with a color of hyacinth so beautiful, that it will in no way yield to the natural color of the said hyacinth. NB if one lends the fusion by a longer fire, the glass will be colored gold, green, blue, & finally black, if one leaves it too long in the fire. Whoever wants to make a ruby,

Everyone can easily conjecture in what state is the one who, after several works, and after having waited for the blessing of God, finally sees the possibility of the thing he has sought with so much care. Moses was delighted to see only the Promised Land, although he did not enter it. What was the joy of this holy old man Simon, when having entered the Temple by divine inspiration, he took the little Jesus in his arms, and said: Lord, now let your servant go in peace, especially as my eyes have seen my Savior. I don't think anyone will be scandalized by this comparison. Because my child is mud. Now, since the child Jesus was not yet old enough to be able to speak, to preach, or to perform miracles, he was nevertheless outwardly similar to the other children, and no one knew what he was to one day become, until, having reached virile age, he performed great miracles, and this for the reason that the divine essence, being hidden in him from all eternity, manifested itself by succession of times. Also, no one knows what colors & what shape the plant that is to be born from some seed must have, finally in being born it manifests what it hid in itself.

In the same way the true first being of gold hidden in my potable gold, is not visible to the eyes, and still less what art can make of it, before it has acquired its fixation by means of fire. It is therefore necessary to wait patiently for this child to be grown, and until, having reached the virile age, he performs virile actions. Who would believe that all the essence of a bird with the feathers, & all that belongs to it, was hidden in an egg, if the thing was not known to everyone? If one drinks too much must, it harms the stomach, and excites colic; but when it is changed into strong & clear wine, it fortifies the stomach, & produces the forces which it held hidden before.He who knows the vegetable seed, the animal egg, and the first mineral being, he knows that from the seed must be born the grass, from the egg the bird, and from the first being of minerals, universal medicine. Now he who is not capable of this reasoning, and who despises the seed, the egg, and the first being of minerals, which make salt, and sulfur, he without thinking about it also rejects the grass which is hidden, the bird, and universal medicine. That is why no one should despise what he does not hear. In order to give the understanding of the affair, I say that the first being of gold hides the universal medicine, which time, art & nature, really bring to light.Thus one should not make fun of my drinkable gold, for still being in its infancy, & resembling common salt water; but on the contrary one must imagine that being similar to the white of an egg,

Enough has been said about the nature and properties of my potable gold; Soon I will print the use of it among my principal remedies. However, whoever wishes to use it, he can do so in complete safety, since it has no effect which does not benefit the human body, by fortifying the radical humidity, by which the life of man is maintained, as we have shown in the example of the lamp. But it must be used with caution; for as it is a very pure fire, it must be used sparingly. At the beginning it is necessary to give to the patient one or two drops in wine, beer, or other drink, & especially very usefully in the spirit of wine: the following day, it will be necessary to add a droplet, & another the days after, as long as it purges by urine & by sweats,& sometimes also slightly through the stools. This operation being done, the doses must also be reduced every day, as long as the disease being carried away, one no longer wishes to use the remedy. All things being duly done, it will be seen that there is no evil that is not chased away & as if consumed by this medicine, as wood is by burning fire; so that everything is reduced to nothing, to the reserve of the fixed salt. For, as we have shown above, all diseases derive their origin from humors, which nothing can remedy more conveniently and surely than this potable gold which opens, incises, consumes and drives them away, just as the Sun consumes and evaporates water in a vessel.So much so that it cures & prevents leprosy, pox, quartan fever, & others, scurvy, epilepsy, apoplexy, hypochondriac melancholia, calculus of the kidneys & of the bladder, gout, & all diseases of the womb, both known and unknown, & even also the plague. Only excessive phlegm burps away. Thus we see that a sanguine person with a somewhat dry temperament is better off than a phlegmatic one. Sugar being dry lasts many years, if it is moistened it becomes sour and musty, although salt is added to preserve it.

Superfluous moisture therefore opens the door to death, to attack life; & on the contrary a warm & temperate dryness preserves all things in good condition & prevents corruption. Although a house is beautiful and magnificent, the roof being ajar and split, it receives rain from all sides which corrupts and rots it; that if we close the holes through which the rain has entered, and open others through which the hot air can enter to dry out the humidity, the house will be able to be preserved. Men who live in damp and marshy places, and whose food and drink are watery, do not ordinarily have a good temperament, being tormented by inflammations and scurvy. On the contrary, those who live in mountains and high places, enjoy purer and drier air,feed on healthier meats, do not know that it is from these diseases that come from humidity, are robust & have hard & thick flesh. This difference is not seen only in men; but still, all the other things. For not only bread, flesh, fruit & other foods, mold & corrupt much rather in damp places, but also metals themselves, iron, copper, tin, & the like do not avoid corruption, damp air, & are covered with rust which does not happen to them so easily in dry air. Here is what I wanted to say briefly about my drinking gold, I will say more about it in the use of my main medicines, which will soon follow this treatise, do not know that it is of these diseases which come from humidity, are robust & have hard & thick flesh.but still, all the other things. For not only bread, flesh, fruit & other foods, mold & corrupt much rather in damp places, but also metals themselves, iron, copper, tin, & the like do not avoid corruption, damp air, & are covered with rust which does not happen to them so easily in dry air. Here is what I wanted to say briefly about my drinking gold, I will say more about it in the use of my main medicines, which will soon follow this treatise, do not know that it is of these diseases which come from humidity, are robust & have hard & thick flesh. This difference is not seen only in men; but still, all the other things.For not only bread, flesh, fruit & other foods, mold & corrupt much rather in damp places, but also metals themselves, iron, copper, tin, & the like do not avoid corruption, damp air, & are covered with rust which does not happen to them so easily in dry air. Here is what I wanted to say briefly about my drinking gold, I will say more about it in the use of my main medicines, which will soon follow this treatise, all other things. For not only bread, flesh, fruit & other foods, mold & corrupt much rather in damp places, but also metals themselves, iron, copper, tin, & the like do not avoid corruption, damp air, & are covered with rust which does not happen to them so easily in dry air.Here is what I wanted to say briefly about my drinking gold, I will say more about it in the use of my main medicines, which will soon follow this treatise, all other things. For not only bread, flesh, fruit & other foods, mold & corrupt much rather in damp places, but also metals themselves, iron, copper, tin, & the like do not avoid corruption, damp air, & are covered with rust which does not happen to them so easily in dry air. Here is what I wanted to say briefly about my drinking gold, I will say more about it in the use of my main medicines, which will soon follow this treatise, & are covered with rust which does not happen to them so readily in dry air.Here is what I wanted to say briefly about my drinking gold, I will say more about it in the use of my main medicines, which will soon follow this treatise, & are covered with rust which does not happen to them so readily in dry air. Here is what I wanted to say briefly about my drinking gold, I will say more about it in the use of my main medicines, which will soon follow this treatise,

Although I have often made mention here & there in my writings of the preparation of my drinking gold clearly, & in the manner of the Philosophers without any recipe, as in the Miracle of the world, in the explanation, & in the continuation of it; However, to fully satisfy everyone, I warn everyone not to imagine that the subject must be drawn from foreign countries with great expense: For the material of my drinkable gold is offered everywhere free, as well to the poor as to the rich; & can be brought to perfection in three days: I hear of this perfection that one's childhood may require, namely to be virginal milk, or clear, universal & medicinal water, which I call drinking gold, in which is hidden the precious Dragon's blood,to be transmuted in a certain limited time into a constant Salamander: which I have not yet obtained. And therefore I remain there, making no doubt that my drinking gold cannot come to the addition of confidence & fixation by the dry process & by the wet process.

Besides, I do not deny that it cannot be made of all the things in the world; but more easily more promptly from one subject than the other. The poorest child who comes into the world necessarily enjoys this subject, without which he cannot breathe. This is why some ancient Philosophers wrote, that Adam & Eve, had the same matter in Paradise, although they were not clothed, having covered their shameful parts with leaves, after they knew their nakedness. For it was outside Paradise that God made them clothes.

The old Hermit Morienus discussing the universal subject with King Calid, who asked him for an explanation, answered him: You yourself, O King, have this subject in your power. . Having completed the work, he wrote these words on a vessel that contained the stone: Who carries everything with himself does not need the help of others: by which he makes it known that he could in all places again recover universal matter, and that he did not need anyone for that. Mary Prophetess, sister of Moses, calls the three-hour work;another the Philosophical work of seven days: And I Glauber novice, disciple of Hermes, assure in truth, that my drinkable gold in question, can be made in three hours, & even of the subjects which are everywhere, & which everyone uses, & cannot do without in life. It is the worst truth without being enveloped in the clouds of similarities or obscure words. And so that no one doubts the literal meaning of this writing, I affirm for the third time that potable gold can be made of any sort of vegetable, animal, or mineral, but rather of one than of the other. Because although everyone can do it with any piece of wood, bread, flesh, grass, leaf, however it is easier to do it with salt which is the concentrated center of all plants and animals;what I leave as an infallible truth. Now I want everyone to know that I am speaking here of no other salt than that which is found in all things. however it is easier to make it from salt which is the concentrated center of all plants & animals; what I leave as an infallible truth. Now I want everyone to know that I am speaking here of no other salt than that which is found in all things. however it is easier to make it from salt which is the concentrated center of all plants & animals; what I leave as an infallible truth. Now I want everyone to know that I am speaking here of no other salt than that which is found in all things.
And so that the meaning of my words can be better understood, I will add a brief but fundamental speech. It is not enough for someone who is curious about the art, and who has an ardent desire to succeed, to read such and such a Philosopher, to persuade himself afterwards of clearly understanding the doctrine which has been taught to him; but he must carefully examine what is the nature & the origin of what he seeks, & by what way he can find it. For if we research things exactly, and go to the bottom, we will find that God was alone until the end that he took pleasure in creating visible things for his glory. He only pronounced that be done, which gave birth to the elements from which all that we see came, without which nature cannot subsist.That if one wants to make something better and purer than nature, one must have recourse to art, which surpasses & goes further, & begins where it ended. For then we come to the quintessence, which surpassing nature by a degree, could not pass further. That if we still wanted to have something more perfect than the quintessence, we would have to have proceeded by some other route, since art does not pass beyond the quintessence. Thus it is necessary to return to the center, from where the elements drew their origin. This center is this divine That if we still wanted to have something more perfect than the quintessence, we would have to have proceeded by some other route, since art does not pass beyond the quintessence.Thus it is necessary to return to the center, from where the elements drew their origin. This center is this divine That if we still wanted to have something more perfect than the quintessence, we would have to have proceeded by some other route, since art does not pass beyond the quintessence. Thus it is necessary to return to the center, from where the elements drew their origin. This center is this divinefiat, or hermaphroditic universal salt, participating in the two natures, which being a true primary motive, contains in itself two hidden opposites, & these opposites acting one against the other reciprocally, engendering the three principles of the three kingdoms, plants, animals, minerals, nourishing them & multiplying them by the four elements; such is the ordinary course of nature. But art goes much further, it reduces the circumference to the center, and does not allow this center or first motive, that these two opposites acting against each other, the patient is overcome by the agent, and that he passes through the three aforesaid kingdoms, as through his circumferences; he overcomes & appeases this first motive, so that he does not divide his forces,& that he does not extend them too much in a large circuit; but that it absorbs them and engulfs them into something strong in itself. In the same way as the dragon carries off its venomous tail by the bite, & feeds on it, when it has no other food, & by this means it becomes a sovereign medicine. This is why Hermes said very wisely: our dragon dies only by F. & S. One fire must conquer the other, & transmute it into a nobler essence. Such fire is my secret Alcaest or true potable gold, by means of which wonders can be done. Water is clear & transparent, in which is hidden fire, color & form. Now this internal fire manifests itself easily, and becomes visible by a double fire, dry and humid.The dry way is carried out by fire & by the heat of common charcoals. For the wet method, it is necessary to use spirit of wine well rectified, & freed from all its phlegm.

Take one ounce of dry & concentrated fire, put there on three ounces of moist fire or spirit of wine, which will drink dry in a short time. Both being digested for a few hours in a long-necked flask by suitable heat, will take on the color of blood, and will manifest their concentrated virtues. For all that was withdrawn within, comes out & makes itself visible & perceptible to the exterior fires. Thus the little child who was clothed in a white color, becomes eloquent, strong, & prudent like a grown man, & the virginal milk is changed into a very effective dragon's blood. It is the true eau de vie, and the true wine of health, of which if one takes a few drops daily they preserve and lengthen the life.Several honest people have seen in me the admirable and prompt virtue of this remedy.
If there be any sick person who can can make it back from the common remedies of the galenists, and if he wishes to have recruit to my potable gold, i will charitably give him as is much as is necessary to cure: and this all the more willingly, so that in these lasturies when the work Ted, the Marvels of Divine Providence May be Known, and that the Mouths May be closed to the Enemies of this Noble and Excellent Art, who Despise and accuse the Philosophers of Lies through Sheer Envy and ignorance. .

I have no doubt that there will be many who will follow in my footsteps to compose real potable gold, and will try to bring it to a higher perfection by succession of times, to which I do not envy a happy success; if God designs to grant them such a great gift. No one will draw anything from me other than what I have said here and there in my writings concerning this drinking gold. Let everyone be happy to find the prepared medicine in my house. What de cent un would not offer if he owned it. I have already amply declared the cause which prompted me to divulge it, and to offer it to the sick for their consolation and recovery.

In conclusion, I protest once again that everything I have said is true. Let no one be so rash as to mock it as a vain and impossible thing.

Everyone is free to try it. As long as I live, this prepared medicine will be found in my house. Even I will show the eye the use of it to friends for the correction of plants, animals & minerals, so that the marvels of God & the possibility of art are highlighted.

ADVICE TO THE READER.

IN ORDER that the reader better understand the meaning of this booklet, I thought it appropriate to make a brief summary here. The whole business consists in knowing how this medicine is easily prepared from the plants, animals and minerals which are found everywhere, and for this reason it is called universal, because it remedies the diseases and the defects of these three kingdoms. Because all plants grow better & more quickly with the help of this medicine, & acquire a much more pleasant smell & flavor than those that are helped by the ordinary manure of animals. Likewise fecundity is increased in both male and female animals, the moist radical is fortified, & all obstructions of the body are opened, & carried away.

All these virtualities have earned it the name of Universal Medicine; what I did not want to seal to those curious about art, and admirers of divine goodness.

END.